Is 40-year-old shoulder real?

Netflix says yes, but here’s what a doctor thinks

If you’re like many Netflix viewers, you may have tuned into the show “Younger” lately — it’s in the streaming service’s Top 10.  

In one of the episodes, Liza, a 40-year-old character pretending to be 26, suffers from “40-year-old shoulder.” I wondered while watching if this was a real condition.  

It turns out it is an actual ailment, known as “frozen shoulder,” or its medical name, adhesive capsulitis. Unfortunately, it doesn’t go away as quickly as it was forgotten in the show.  

Dr. Andrew Curley, who cares for patients at TidalHealth Orthopedics in Seaford and Millsboro, Del., said it’s not too common of a condition. For those who have it, though, healing can be a slow process. 

Adhesive capsulitis happens when the capsule around the shoulder becomes inflamed and stiffens, which makes the joint rigid, Dr. Curley said. There isn’t always a reason for it, though two risk factors can include a history of diabetes or thyroid abnormalities, he said.  

The most common age group for this condition is 40 to 60, with women more likely to be affected, according to the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.  

Normally, physical therapy is the primary treatment, though it can often take over six to nine months to demonstrate significant symptomatic improvements, Dr. Curley said. Sometimes, patients need a steroid injection, and in rare cases when other treatments don’t work, surgery can be an option, he said.